Australia politics live: Gallagher taken by surprise as Pocock, Coalition and Greens team up to scrap defence honours bill debate | Australia news

Key events

The extended voting on the government’s environmental protection and biodiversity bills has slightly delayed question time.

And before they get started, Anthony Albanese welcomes and celebrates some of Australia’s winter Olympians and Paralympians who will be competing in next year’s Olympics in Milan, Italy.

Just as you and your team-mates were inspired to represent our nation on the world stage by the heroics of previous generations of Australian champions, including Zali Steggall, what you do at the 2026 games will inspire our future Olympians and Paralympics.

Opposition leader Sussan Ley calls the athletes “the finest examples of Australian courage, discipline and spirit.”

These games will mark 50 years since Australia first competed at the Winter Paralympics. A milestone worthy of reflection and celebration.

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Dominant species in SA’s algal bloom might not survive summer temperatures, study finds

The bad news is that South Australia’s devastating algal bloom turns out to be mostly made up of a toxic species. The good news is that the species, Karenia Cristata, is not as tolerant of heat as other species, which gives some hope for clearer beaches this summer.

Before now, we knew the bloom was a blend of species, and early testing showed Karenia mikimotoi was dominant. But an unknown species was also in the mix, and something was giving off toxins.

It has killed tens of thousands of fish and marine animals from almost 700 different species, and creates a foam on beaches that can irritate human skin, lungs and eyes.

Professor Shauna Murray is from the University of Technology Sydney and one of the 24 authors of a preprint study (ie, one that has not been peer-reviewed yet) about the bloom.

At a briefing today she said testing showed five different species with Karenia cristata mostly dominant, and that there was still much to be learned about it, as it had only been detected twice before, and this was its first detection in Australia.

She said it is a cooler water species, preferring temperatures at 14C to 20C.

“So it could be that it doesn’t survive the warmer temperatures in summer very well,” she said.

That, in turn, “complicates” the theory that the marine heatwave – exacerbated by climate change – caused the bloom, Murray said, but added that the complexities of the species and the environment meant the heatwave and climate change could have played a role.

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Updated at 22.11 EST

Labor looking to streamline debate on seven environment bills

The government is working through the seven bills related to the country’s environment and biodiversity laws – so the first one, the Environment Protection Reform bill 2025 just passed the House a few moments ago, and now they’re on the second bill, which is to establish the environment protection agency.

There are seven bills in total and a lot of amendments, so I have really had my work cut out for me this afternoon!

The government’s keen to get through all of these today – hence why they voted to stop the member statements to give them an extra half hour for these environment bills.

Leader of the House, Tony Burke, has also just put up a suspension of standing orders that would limit each speaker’s time to five minutes, to speed up the process. Members of the crossbench and opposition are not at all happy about that (but they still don’t have the numbers to stop it from happening.)

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Updated at 22.00 EST

Environment reform bill passes House

The government has passed the environment protection reform bill through the House of Reps, with several amendments from the crossbench.

The crossbench tried to move 84 amendments – by Kate Chaney, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Sophie Scamps, Helen Haines, Nicolette Boele, Andrew Wilkie and Monique Ryan.

Just one amendment was accepted – Chaney’s amendment to ensure public reporting on the progress of nature offsets projects.

Some crossbenchers, the Coalition and Greens all voted against the bill. Independent, Allegra Spender, voted for the bill with Labor.

A reminder (as you’ll all know well by now): the government does not currently have a pathway to pass the bill through the Senate.

Tony Burke has also just pushed to scrap the 90 seconds of members’ statements for today – that normally runs between 1:30pm and question time – to debate the next bill which is to set up the environment protection agency (EPA).

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Updated at 22.05 EST

Seven West shareholders deliver ‘first strike’ against executive pay plans

Seven West Media shareholders have delivered a symbolic “first strike” against the media company’s remuneration report.

At the company’s annual general meeting earlier today, chairman Kerry Stokes told shareholders Seven West executives had not been paid bonuses this year because they “didn’t achieve the objective of our shareholders getting a dividend”.

This wasn’t enough to soothe shareholders who voted to deliver the “first strike” against the company, which occurs when more than 25% of votes are lodged against executive pay plans.

The strike would normally open up the company to the risk of a board spill next year if it were to record a second consecutive strike, however that could be complicated by its anticipated merger with Southern Cross.

The two strikes rule was a federal government initiative from 2011 designed to hold companies to account over excessive pay rates, although strikes are also used by shareholders to express general discontent with a company’s performance.

Stokes, who today presided over his last Seven West AGM as chairman – as long as the merger goes ahead – faced frustration over the company’s ongoing poor performance, which has resulted in a 30% decline in its share price over the last five years to 0.14 cents.

Stokes told shareholders the company’s earnings have “actually been challenged by some very large international companies stealing all our revenue”.

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Updated at 21.08 EST

Defence honours bill discharged from Senate debate

The government has faced a few big defeats in the Senate this sitting fortnight.

They’ve just suffered another blow, with the Coalition, Greens and independent senators teaming up again to back David Pocock’s suspension of standing orders to discharge the defence honours bill from the Senate notice paper. Discharging a bill means it won’t proceed and won’t be voted on.

Manager of government business in the Senate, Katy Gallagher, basically accuses Pocock and the others of an ambush, saying “this is the first the government has heard of it, this is the first the minister has heard of it.”

She also disputes Pocock’s claim that the government is stopping the Senate committee examining this bill from reporting on it, and says the Senate agreed to extend the reporting date to 21 November.

Despite that, the suspension of standing orders is backed, and it looks like the bill will soon be discharged.

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Updated at 21.17 EST

Bob Katter’s parliamentary portrait unveiled

Here are a few photos of the PM doing the honours.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese shakes hands with independent member for Kennedy Bob Katter during the official portrait unveiling. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPAlbanese listens to Katter during the official portrait unveiling. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPThe official portrait unveiling at Parliament House. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare

Updated at 21.37 EST

An estimated one in 10 homes bought with 5% deposit scheme in October

About one in 10 homes sold in October were bought with the expanded 5% deposit scheme, government figures suggest.

The scheme supported 5,778 purchases in October, compared with 3,901 supported by its more restricted predecessor in October 2024, government agency Housing Australia reported.

That 50% jump followed the Albanese government removing caps on the number of spots and incomes and lifting price caps last month. About 57,000 homes were bought each month on average in 2024, so about one in 10 homes might have been bought with a government-backed 5% deposit in October.

NAB’s chief executive, Andrew Irvine, said the increase in first-time buying was “encouraging”, announcing the bank’s annual results, which showed property investors accounted for more than two in five new home loans over the six months before October.

Asked about investors outpacing owner-occupiers, Irvine defended the importance of landlords in the market:

We are seeing good growth in first home buyer numbers … Investors are also playing an important role, because they’re providing housing for renters, and so you kind of need both.

Westpac also reported rapid increases in landlord lending on Monday, though it noted booming interest in the deposit scheme’s expansion, with a 150% surge in applications after 1 October.

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Updated at 21.02 EST

David Pocock moves to scrap government’s ‘friendless’ defence honours bill

Independent senator David Pocock is moving to suspend standing orders to discharge the government’s defence honours bill from the Senate.

The bill would limit the time on which acts by a member of the defence force can be considered for higher recognition to 20 years.

Pocock says the motion is “urgent”, and will send a message to veterans.

This is urgent because we have a friendless bill that the government is stopping a Senate committee reporting on. I urge the Senate, it’s time to say as a Senate we will not stand for that, we will not deal with a bill that the department admitted they did no consultation on.

I’ve heard from veterans about the urgency to send a message to the government that this should not be the priority. Responding and implementing the recommendations of the royal commission into veterans’ suicide should be the priority, and that is why this is so urgent.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie says the Coalition will support the motion. She calls the bill a “betrayal of trust” of veterans.

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Updated at 20.28 EST

Albanese unveils Parliament House portrait of Bob Katter

Father of the house Bob Katter is being honoured today with a portrait in Parliament House marking his more than 50 years of service to the Queensland and federal parliaments.

Anthony Albanese marks the occasion, calling Katter one of the most “recognisable” faces in parliament.

The PM jokes that while Katter has a unique sartorial style, he’s switched to fancy dress “when the need arises”.

We’ve seen him dressed as a pig. We’ve seen him dressed as the Grim Reaper, just as two examples. So if I can make a request, no more dress-ups.

Independent MPs Andrew Wilkie (left) and Bob Katter dressed in pig suits in February 2024 to publicise a bill to reduce supermarket dominance. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Albanese calls Katter a gracious host and passionate advocate for his public, and also jokes that the Queenslander is “never, ever on time”.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese and independent member for Kennedy Bob Katter at the official portrait unveiling. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare

Updated at 20.21 EST

Victoria announces changes to real estate guidelines to target underquoting

Real estate agents who illegally underquote property listings will now have to follow strict guidelines in Victoria, after a taskforce monitoring more than 2,800 sales campaigns issued 203 fines totalling over $2.3m and 292 official warnings to agents caught breaching their obligations.

Adding to existing requirements, agents must now consider a home’s age and renovation status when setting a price on comparable sales.

Announcing the changes, the minister for consumer affairs, Nick Staikos, will ensure agents use the most appropriate comparable local properties when determining a home’s likely selling price before auction, to drive greater transparency across the industry and further protect homebuyers.

Under Victoria’s underquoting laws, estate agents must provide sellers with an estimate of the selling price for their home and must not advertise the property below this estimate. The estimate must be reasonable and consider the sale prices of three comparable properties listed on the Statement of Information for prospective purchasers.

Staikos said:

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions many Victorians will make – and it’s already a stressful enough process without misleading and dishonest price estimates.

This is just one part of the ways we’re stamping out underquoting, with the taskforce using a range of methods to monitor the market, including tracking sales campaigns and inspecting agencies, as well as attending auctions.

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Updated at 20.51 EST

Lehrmann and lawyer’s court no-show over vehicle stealing charge

Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer Zali Burrows has been issued a broadside after the pair’s no-show in court on a car-stealing charge.

The former political staffer was listed to appear in Hobart magistrates court on Thursday.

However, the 30-year-old didn’t appear and attempts to get Burrows, a high-profile Sydney solicitor, by phone were unsuccessful, leaving the police prosecutor and presiding officer, magistrate Robert Webster, unimpressed.

“From emails … she doesn’t understand the purpose of this court at all,” Webster said.

The magistrate said Burrows told her she misunderstood whether the morning’s appearance was a hearing or a mention.

He also said Lehrmann was “not available today due to urgent medical issues/tests”, according to his lawyer, who asked for an adjournment.

Lehrmann did appear in the federal court across town in Hobart on Tuesday on a separate matter relating to alleged misappropriations of secret documents related to French submarines in 2019.

– AAP

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Updated at 20.26 EST

Andrew Wilkie says he won’t support proposed nature laws without significant change

Over to the lower house, where the government’s proposed nature laws are being debated.

Andrew Wilkie, independent MP for Clark, has said he won’t support the bill without significant changes.

He said the plight of the Maugean skate is “emblematic of what’s wrong with our environment laws currently, and what the government plans to bake in with these reforms”:

There in Macquarie Harbour, we have an endangered prehistoric fish which has outlasted the dinosaurs and exists in that one location only, we’ve also got clear scientific evidence of its decline coinciding with expanded salmon farming following a federal approval.

He earlier said:

It’s been well ventilated by now that these reforms fall well short of what’s needed to stop and reverse biodiversity loss and to meet the challenges of the climate crisis, because it’s riddled with all sorts of carve-outs and loopholes which will allow for continued environmental destruction in the face of all the evidence.

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Updated at 20.05 EST

Plibersek defends move to cancel welfare payments of people accused of serious crimes

The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, has defending the government’s move to cancel welfare payments of those accused of serious crimes and on the run from the law.

Various groups including civil society organisations, First Nations people, survivors of family violence, legal experts and disabled people have all criticised the change.

Speaking to Sky News earlier today, Plibersek said there are already measures in place that allow Centrelink payments to be cancelled if someone is suspected of a terrorism offence and their passport or visa has been cancelled.

What I am proposing is that the home affairs minister, after a request from the federal police or state police, determines whether that person, whether there’s strong evidence against them, there’s a warrant for their arrest, they’re a continuing threat to the community, after considering any dependents, making sure that we look after the dependants, that person can have their social security benefit cancelled the same day, the same way they would if they were waiting on remand to be tried for a serious crime.

Plibersek says the arguments against giving the power to the home affairs minister to cancel these payments is “unbelievable”.

Minister for social services, Tanya Plibersek. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare

Updated at 21.38 EST

FoI bill passes the House of Representatives

This isn’t surprising, seeing the government has a majority in the lower house, but the Coalition, Greens and independents all voted against it.

The bill passed with a minor amendment – that the government had moved – that was agreed to while the bill was being debated in the Federation chamber.

But all of those larger amendments put forward by the crossbench were rejected, as I brought you a bit earlier.

We know that neither the Greens nor Coalition are currently supportive of this controversial bill, so the government is going to somehow have to convince one of them to come onside.

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Updated at 18.44 EST

Jess Collins apologises for embarrassing mistake

Incredible scenes in the Senate this morning, as the NSW Liberal senator Jess Collins corrects the record about some comments she made regarding party elder statesman Richard Alston earlier in the week.

Speaking about a private senator’s bill, Collins told the Senate on Wednesday that the Coalition had a proud history of contributing to Australia’s superannuation system, “starting with the significant contributions of the late Senator Richard Alston in the 1990s”.

If anybody had the privilege of listening to the condolence speeches to the late Senator Richard Alston just a few months ago, we heard about the significant, very significant contributions that he and the coalition made to ensuring that this superannuation, as I said before, worked for all Australians.

The only problem is, Alston is very much alive and kicking. Alston had been part of a special committee in charge of managing the NSW Liberal party branch but was dumped in June, along with former Victorian party official Alan Stockdale.

Collins had made a personal explanation to the Senate in the past few minutes.

She called Alston a “good friend” and clarified to the chamber that the late senator she was talking about was in fact John Watson.

I can confirm that former Senator Richard Alston, AO, is A-OK, having spoken to him immediately after my speech to apologise for my mistake.

I thank former Senator Richard Alston for his good grace and his humour for encouraging me by saying that ‘If that’s the worst mistake you made from parliament, you’ll be doing OK’.

Collins apologised to anyone who might have been taken by surprise by her comments.

Collins has had the official record of proceedings from Wednesday morning altered to reflect the fact she was talking about Watson, and not Alston.

Members of Parliament can ask to have errors corrected in the Hansard.

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Updated at 18.26 EST